8.12.15

We Are The Rhoads Pictures Google in Every Day Life

On Monday evening the tech world was startled to learn that Google would be restructuring under a new parent company, Alphabet. For some it was confusing news, but Google has explained that their more adventurous ventures will be separated from the core business of what we’ve come to expect from them: incredible products that blend seamlessly into their customer’s lives. That focus has become so important to the identity of Google that it is imperative they show how what this looks like. Just recently, Google tapped We Are The Rhoads to help them tell the story of blending technology into their users’ every day life.

Chris and Sarah of We Are The Rhoads are best known for their effortless and authentic style, so building that energy into a shoot for Google about the convergence of technology was second nature. “They essentially had us come in and create some different lifestyle motivated imagery. They wanted something fresh that didn’t feel stale or feel like any other brands,” says Sarah. “Something that felt alive and fresh.” From the new Android Wear, to the Android operating system in phones and cars, through the smartphone usage of Google Wallet, there’s a taste of Google in every image. But what comes through is how easily it fits into the lifestyle compositions of We Are The Rhoads. They are totally natural. “It covered the gamut of their new products,” says Sarah.

The most exciting aspect for The Rhoads was that they found eager collaborators on the project. It’s not every day that brands, especially as big as Google, understand what it takes for artists to create their best work. “Google, as well as the agency, had a really good outlook of what’s achievable in a day to get the best results, and were more focused on quality than quantity of shots,” explains Chris. “Both the client and the agency appreciated the creative process enough to say it’s not just about dollars and cents, it’s about Google getting the best possible, highest quality images out of this that we can,” adds Sarah. That allowed Sarah and Chris to take their time in composing and lighting each shot so that they would look as beautiful as they could.

Creating images that look as effortless as these is not an effortless process. An incredible amount of work goes into making something look like no work went into it. For one particular image shot inside a car, Chris and Sarah wanted to show a bright story that took place on a sunny day. Unfortunately, the day of the shoot there was an incredible amount of rain. But Sarah and Chris solved that problem with their own mastery of craft. “We lit the inside so it looked sunny,” explains Sarah. “But it was pouring. As soon as we finished that shot, the rain started to lift so we could get shots of what was outside the window so it all came together,” says Chris. By giving Sarah and Chris the space to do what it is they do best, Google ensured that their collaborative relationship would result in imagery that was both effortless and flawless, and show off what Google does best: create groundbreaking products that we will use for generations.